Combined harvesting and thrashing machine



- 2 SheetsSheet 1.

' (No Model.)

J,. L HEALD Q v COMBINED HARVESTING AND THRASHING MACHINE. No. 509,082.

Patented Nov. 21, 1893.

a fnvenzol? mznesses 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

PatentedN0v 21, 1893.

(inventor,

Wiinawa v Tu! NAYAONAL UTNOGRAPMIIG CGMI'ANV, wmmamu. a. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. HEALD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

v COMBINED HARVESTING AND THRASHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 509,082, datd November 21, 1893.

Serial No. 245,433. a (No model) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN L. HEALD, a citi zen of the United States, residing in San Francisco, San Francisco county, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Harvesting and Thrashing Machine, as set forth in the following specification and the drawings forming a part thereof, which I hereby declare to be a full, clear, and exact description of my invention and the means of its application.

7 My invention relates to what are called combined harvesting machines, to reap, thrash and winnow grain, at one operation, and especially to that part thereof, commonly called the shoe, consisting of a vibrating riddle and a chute orguide below the riddle, on which the grain falls when it is separated from the chaff and straw, and is thereby guided or conducted to a conveyer trough. gggM invention consists in means for supporting these parts called the shoes, on a pivotal support, longitudinally, so that they may freely change their plane transverse to the main machine within which they are mounted, and in means to keep these parts level transversely, or nearly so, when the machine is moving on unlevel ground, by means of sus-i pended weights or other automatic apparatus, so connected by suitable devices that they will by their gravity and pendent position, maintain the pivoted shoe in its normal position transversely, and also longitudinally, when the latter adjustment is required.

The objects of w my invention can be eX- plained by saying that while the reaping and thrashing elements of these combined machines are not much affected by the positions assumed inpassing over unlevelground, the winnowing elements are much affected thereby.

To secure efficient operation of machines of this kind, it is essential that the grain, straw and chafi or the material to be operated upon, be distributed uniformly over the surface of the riddle,'because this determines the action of the wind thereon. If the material is thin at any part of the riddles surface it is blown ofi, and on the contrary, if the material is banked or piled up at either side or in any particular part, the wind is obstructed, and

among the various elements that go to make up a combined reaping, thrashing and winnowing machine, none are much affected by an inclination of the whole machine, longitudinally or transversely, except the winnowing part, consisting especially of the riddle to which my invention may be applied alone,

and the collecting and distributing chute beneath, on which the clean grain falls after passing through the riddle and on its way to the conveyer. v

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 rep.-'

resents, partially in section, the winnowing parts of a combined harvesting machine,such parts as my invention applies to.- Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail, showing how the middle;

and chute board are arranged, to prevent the grain from escaping at their sides. Fig. is a diagram, showing the operation of my invention when a machine is moving on ground slanting transverse to its course. Fig. 4: is a vertical sectional longitudinal elevation of the cleaning devices andthe harvester, and thrasher combined.

The main elements represented in the drawings are indicated by letters, as follows:

A is an elevator for raising the grain, straw and chaff from the thrashing to the winnowing machine or part. i

B is a deflecting board or apron, onwhich the material falls and is distributed to the riddle.

C is the shaking riddle where the chaff, straw and dust are blown off. p

D is the chute board onwhich the grain falls from the riddle. l

E is a fan to generate the I cleaning blast, indicated by arrows.

F is a cross conveyor that carries out un-' K represents conveyer troughs extendingacross the machine.

L is the bottom of the machine or main frame, on which the shoe is supported.

N is a suspended weight to maintain the i chute board and riddle in the same position longitudinally, irrespective of the position of a the main machine in ascending and descend- 5 ing sloping ground.

0 represents stripping combs to clear the elevator and prevent it from carrying back straw and weeds on its under side.

P is a section of the inclosing side of the;

combined harvester and thrasher which transports all the mechanism.

38 denotes an endless carrier which discharges upon the thrashing cylinder 0 e'rs Upon the elevator A.

The operation of these parts can be 'de-f scribed as follows: In the course of the grain 1 through the machine after thrashing, it is j first carried up with the straw and chaff from thethrashin'g cylinder by the elevator A, falls on th'e'apron B',an'd then slides off on the ridj dle O, which has a rapid shaking motion imparted to it by the crank and connection J. The grain falls through this riddle C on the 1 chu'te D, while the light straw,'cha'ff and dust I are blown off by the fan E, the material havingt'a'continuous forward movement toward the discharge end Q, by reason of the blast vfrom the fan. Anyheavy material, such as heads'containing grain, falls down through the fingers R to the screw conveyer F, and

from there is conveyed back to be thrashed Y a secondtime. "Ihegrain falling on the chute ID, slides down to the screw'conveyerG, and is thereby carriedout of themachine. The riddle O is supported by the links I I,t'wo at each side, attached to the chute-board D. These links I permit a "free shaking mot-ionof the riddle O, and also act as an equalizing co'n-- fastened in an eye V, so the weight is free to swing forward and back longitudinally in respect to the chute D, but not sidewise without moving or turning the chute correspondingly on its supports, so that the chute D and riddle Care at all times level transversely, by reason "of the pendent weight M, as indi- 'cated in Fig. 3, when W represents a sloping ground ,line, and a a the supporting wheels of the main machine. This Weight M, and its functions, constitute the main part of my invention, because the deviations of such machines .are commonly transverse to their course, reapingbeing done, Whenever possible, on a course as nearly level as possible.

In some cases, however, such machines have M is a weight suspended to the bot'tomgof the chute board to keep it level transversely. i

to ascend and descend sloping ground, and in that case lmaintain the normal longitudinal position of the riddle O and chute Din the same manner as before, interp'osing, however,

a bell-crank Xa'nd curved guide Y, to the top of which is attached the pivotal bearing T.

The front pivotal bearing Sbeing stationary,

any movement of the wei-gh't'N, forvvardor E of them can be applied independently of the other, their action being alike i nfeach case; but, as before remarked, the transverse ad- D is another endless carrier which delivn I justment performed by the weight M is the T most important because of side tilting being most common, also because of deviation in this direction having more efiect in deranging the operation of the shoe. The'curved guide Y is made on a radius from the pivotal bearing S, and "slides in the *guidese-e to prevent lateral movement. The bearings S and T may be ofany kind, permitting the required movement or adjustments of theshoe. I have-shown, in the present case,a-pivotal bearing at S, and a "ball and socket one at T.

To prevent the escape of grain over "the sides of the riddle C and the chute D, lemploy :flexible guards m, resting against the sides P'of the main frame,and overlapping the pendent guards n, preferably of sheet metal, the construction of these guards being such as to permit the extreme deviation of the shoe, as indicated in Fig. 3.

While I have shown the ridd-lef-a-nd chute, or, technically, the shoe, mounted on 'piv'otal supports beneath, it willbe evidentth'at-such pivotal supports may be applied'above, "and the shoesuspended, the only difference-being common method ofv constructingsuch combined harvesting and thrashing machines it is preferable to combine the riddle and chute to form what is called the shoe.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a combined harvesting and thrashing machine, the combination of the winnowing riddle, the riddle chute mounted on pivotal v bearings so as to permit deviation of its level transversely, links connecting the riddle and chute to keep them in like relative position.

and the weight M suspended to the bottom of the chute board near its lower end by means of a rod movably attachedthereto so that the weight may be free to swing forward and back longitudinally in-respect to the chute without moving or turning the chute correspondingly on its supports, substantially as described.

2. In a combined harvesting and thrashing machine, the combination of the winnowing riddle, the" chute mounted on pivotal bearings so as to permit deviation of its level transversely, links connecting the chute and riddle so as to keep them in like relative position, a weight attached to the chute board near its lower pivotal end substantially as described so that it can swing freely forward and back longitudinally in respect to the chute but not endwise, and another weight supported on the chute board near its other pivoted end, substantially as described.

3. In a combined harvesting and thrashing machine, the combination of the winnowing riddle, the chute board mounted on pivotal bearings in an inclined position so that it is free to rock or turn on its longitudinal axis, the links for supporting the riddle above the chute and permitting said riddle to have a free shaking motion as well as acting to provide an equalizing connection between the riddle and the chute, a weight suspended on the bottom of the chute board by meansof a rod fastened pivotally to said board so that a weight can be free to swing forward and back longitudinally in respect to the chute but not sidewise, and another weight supported at the rear end of the chute by means described, the rear pivotal bearing T movable vertically and connected by the curved guide Y and bell crank X to a suspended weight N so arranged that the shoe will remain in its normal position longitudinally, and the weight Msuspended to the bottom of the chute board near its lower pivotal bearing S by means of rod U fastened in the eye V so that weight M may be free to swing forward and back longitudinally but not sidewise, substantially as specified.

5. In a combined harvesting and thrashing machine, a chute and riddle as herein described connectedby links to maintain them in like position relatively, the chute being ,mounted on pivotal bearings so as to permit deviation of its level transversely, a pendent weight attached to the chute and free to swing .forward and back longitudinally but not sidewise and another weight supported at the other end of the chute by means of a bell crank and a curved guide suitably supported and connected, all substantially as described.

6. In a combined harvesting machine, the shoe, consisting of the riddle O, and chute D, mounted on pivoted bearings as herein described, the rear pivotal bearing T movable vertically and connected by the curved guide Y, and bell crank X, to a suspended weight N, so arranged that the shoe will remain in its normal position longitudinally, by reason of the weight, irrespective of the position of the main machine when ascending or descending sloping ground, in the manner substantially as and for the purposes specified and set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN L. HEALD.

Witnesses: I

ALFRED A. ENQUIST, WILsoN D. BEN' J r. 

